Reversed Images
by Disgruntled Peony
Summary: An alternate universe version of the Pilot; first in a series.
1. I

Title: Reversed Images

Author: liz_Z

E-mail: liz_Z@secret-agent.com

Category: Action/Adventure/Alternate universe

Spoilers: Big ones for the Pilot

Season/Sequel info: Umm, I'm not exactly sure what to put here. Takes place during season 1... sort of...

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. But if they were, oh the things I could do!

Notes: I would like to take a moment to thank Invisible_Mom, Invision, and Critter_Keeper, who all helped me in one way or another to make this story possible. Thanks, ladies. Your help was much appreciated.

The night was dark, with a small smattering of clouds lying on the horizon. It was late, and all the people who lived in the neighborhood had gone to bed long ago. Nothing stirred except a stray branch blown by a gust of wind and the dark figure scaling a nearby high rise. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and he scaled the high rise with the speed and skill of an expert. Unless someone was purposely looking for him, they would have missed him completely.

The man finished climbing the wall and pulled himself up onto a small balcony. He slipped inside the house and, after a quick glance around the room, spotted the telltale safe in the wall. He smiled and pulled up his mask. Then he removed the black backpack he had been wearing and pulled out an electric drill. Placing a flashlight in his mouth so he could better see what he was doing, he proceeded to drill into the safe.

Once he finished he placed the drill back inside of his pack and pulled out a small explosive charge. He stuck it in the hole he'd made and set the timer for thirty seconds. Then he activated it and ducked around the corner. However, just before the bomb went off, an old man shuffled into view. He looked at the man in the shadows, a surprised expression on his face. "Hey, you're not the oxygen man!" The man in the shadows whirled around, revealing the face of a very startled Bobby Hobbes.

And then the safe blew.

The old man gasped in surprise and clutched his chest. Then he fell to the ground, in the throes of a heart attack. Bobby began to run for the exit, stepping right over the old man. However, just before he ran out the door, he stopped. He couldn't leave an old man dying on the ground, could he? He glanced at the man, then at the door, and then back at the old man. Finally he made his decision. He swore under his breath, but turned back to the old man, straddled him at the hips, and began to administer CPR.

The old man didn't respond. Bobby's efforts became more frantic. He pounded on the man's chest and yelled in frustration, "Come on you old fart, breath!"

Suddenly the old man came around, gasping for breath. Bobby collapsed on the old man, heaving a great sigh of relief. However, at that moment two security guards charged into the room, guns at the ready. "Freeze!" They yelled, aiming their guns at Bobby's head.

Bobby paled. "I knew I should've stayed in bed today..."

**********

Bobby lay on his prison cot and stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the sound of his cellmate's snoring. He frowned as he remembered what the judge had said. He was sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole. Well, that's just lovely, he thought sarcastically to himself. He knew one thing for sure; that was the last time he was going to listen to his conscience, at least when it came down to saving the lives of old men who he was in the process of robbing. Of course, now he wouldn't have to deal with that problem anyway.

Because of a bottleneck at the federal prison, he was being kept at the court's jail overnight. He had noticed almost immediately that the security was a little lax. He sighed. What he would've given for something- a pen, for instance- to pick the lock of his cell with. Unfortunately, he'd been too busy feeling sorry for himself in the courtroom to think of grabbing one.

Just then one of the guards walked up to Bobby's cell and rapped on the bars. "Robert Hobbes?"

Bobby sat up, wondering what was going on. "Yeah, that's me."

"You've got a visitor." With that, the guard unlocked the cell door and motioned for Bobby to come with him. Bobby followed, wondering who his visitor was. The guard led Bobby to a small room that actually seemed more like two rooms, the different sides divided by a wall of what was probably bulletproof glass, although Bobby wasn't sure. There were several chairs in front of the glass, and speakers that would allow people to talk back and forth from opposite sides of the barrier. Bobby sat down in one of the chairs and leaned back, waiting for his visitor to come into the room.

A man with brown hair and thick glasses walked into the room and sat down on the other side of the barrier. Bobby frowned. "Who're you?"

The man looked down at him. "My name is Kevin Fawkes."

"What are you doing here?"

Kevin folded his hands in front of him and assumed a business-like air. "I'm here to make you an offer."

"What sort of offer?" Bobby asked, giving the man a suspicious glare.

"An offer that will get you out of here."

Bobby leaned forward, suddenly very interested in what the man had to say. "I'm listening."

"The people I work for looked into your case and they decided that you got the shaft. They have a little pull with the justice department. It took a little greasing, but they agreed to make you an offer. It's a project, federal funded, kind of under the table. We finished animal testing a month ago and are ready for a volunteer."

Hobbes frowned. "Volunteer. You mean you're offering to make me a lab rat?"

" I mean you might be pardoned if you take the offer."

Hobbes gave Kevin a suspicious look. "What's this project thing about?"

"I can't get into it here. It's safe to say it will involve a little surgery-"

Hobbes stood up and began to back away. "Whoa, hold on a minute there. Did you just say surgery?"

"It's nothing I can't reverse."

"I don't care if you can reverse it or not! We're talking scalpels, and sponges, and those little suction tube thingies..." Hobbes paled a little. He'd never liked hospitals, and he really hated operating rooms. Just the thought of what could happen to him if something went wrong sent shivers up his spine.

Kevin sighed. "Look, I'm not saying it isn't a risk, but it's better than throwing your life away."

Bobby gave Kevin a wary look. "I don't trust anybody. Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't have any other options."

Hobbes sat back down, thoroughly confused. He'd seen this sort of thing happen in movies and TV shows before, but he'd never thought it really happened. Hmm, he thought, maybe he should go along with this deal. Then again, all the people who did that in the movies usually ended up in a worse situation than they were before. He looked up at Kevin. The guy looked honest enough. To be frank, he looked kind of like Rick Moranis. Of course, that didn't give Bobby any reason to trust him. But the guy was right. Bobby didn't have any other options- except going to prison, of course. And in his opinion, that was definitely not an option.

***********

A nondescript, rusty old van drove down a deserted road. Inside, Bobby scowled at the floor. The van had been driving for nearly two hours, and Bobby was starting to get very bored. He leaned over and tapped Kevin on the shoulder. "Hey, when are we gonna get to wherever it is we're going?"

Kevin looked over at Bobby in annoyance. "We're almost there. Would you be patient?"

Several minutes later the van rolled to a stop. The back of the van opened, and Kevin stepped out. Bobby climbed out after him- and found himself in the middle of nowhere. The only things nearby were a small farmhouse and an old barn and silo. The farmhouse was sagging, and seemed about to fall over, and the barn was desperately in need of a new paint job. The place looked completely abandoned. Bobby sighed. After what he'd seen so far, he hadn't really been expecting much, but this fell far below even his lowest expectations. 

A tumbleweed rolled near his foot; he kicked it in frustration, but all that accomplished was to get the stupid thing lodged on his foot. Kevin looked back at him, shaking his head in annoyance. "Mr. Hobbes, let's go!" Bobby pulled the tumbleweed off his shoe and threw it to the ground, crushing it with his feet as he walked off after Kevin. He noticed that several guards were following him. They were probably there to ensure that he didn't escape. He laughed to himself. Escape to where?

He followed Kevin through the door of the barn. Bobby followed, but when he stepped through he was surprised to see that it looked nothing like a barn. The room was filled with computers, various doctors and technicians, and countless security guards. Bobby raised one eyebrow. Apparently these buildings weren't as old and abandoned as he had thought.

Kevin turned to Bobby, a smug grin on his face. "So, what do you think?" he asked, motioning to the room.

Bobby nodded in appreciation. "Nice digs. Looks like something out of a spy movie."

Kevin smiled at Bobby's comment. "Well, I wouldn't quite say that, but we do have a pretty well-kept complex here. And you've hardly seen anything yet. Most of it is underground." He walked over to an elevator and pressed the call button. Bobby started to walk over to him, looking around the room in fascination. He'd always been a big science-fiction buff, and this whole place seemed very interesting. He walked up to Kevin just as the elevator doors opened. Kevin and Bobby stepped inside, and the elevator closed and began its descent.

After the elevator stopped and its doors swung open, Kevin led Bobby down several hallways and through another door. Inside, there was a group of people standing in a line, dressed all in white. Kevin gestured at the line of people. "Let me introduce you to the team. This is Dr. Invision, Optical Physics. This is Dr. Mecholah, Bio Physics. Dr. Joyce, Regal Topography. Dr. Harrell, Genetic Coding. This is Nurse Cotrofeld, Nurse Meyer." Bobby smiled at the two nurses. He'd have to find out more about them. Kevin continued with his briefing. "This is Dr. Rogers in Computer Modeling. This is Dr. Treysum, also Computer Modeling. Dr. Critterkeep, Endocrinology, and Dr. Arnaud de Thiel, Biochemistry." Kevin smiled and said, "He was the youngest graduate of Geneva University." 

Bobby looked Arnaud up and down. The guy didn't look like much. He smiled and said sarcastically, "Wow. I'm impressed."

Arnaud glanced condescendingly at Bobby and said, with enough sarcasm in his voice to more than match Bobby, "It's an honor to meet you, Monsieur Hobbes."

Bobby frowned. Kevin, however, seemed unaware of the hostility that was radiating from Bobby. He laughed and said, "Arnaud has more degrees than the rest of us put together. We like to call him our Swiss Doogie Howser." 

Arnaud smiled. "It's because they watch too much television. Next week I'll be James Bond." 

Bobby smiled nastily. "Oh, that's really funny." 

"Well, as I like to say, laughter is a man's only real weapon." 

"You make that up?" 

Arnaud smiled. "'Fraid so, you like?" 

Before Bobby could answer, a voice rang out from the doorway. "Well personally, I think it was a lot funnier a hundred years ago, when Mark Twain said it." Bobby turned around to see a tall, lanky man with brown eyes and hair that had been styled so it stood straight up in the air. He was wearing an old leather jacket and holding a half-eaten apple in one hand. The man walked up to Arnaud, took a big bite out of his apple, and said, "You gonna take credit for Huck Finn too?"

Kevin motioned to the man who had just walked in and said, "And this is-"

Hobbes interrupted. "Special Agent Darien Fawkes, with the FBI."

Darien shook his head. "Formerly with the FBI."

Kevin gave Bobby a confused look. "You two know each other?"

Bobby glared at Darien. "I guess you could say that. He arrested me about six years ago."

Darien gave Bobby a sheepish grin and glanced over at Kevin, who was looking even more confused than before. Darien patted Kevin on the back. "It's a long story."

"I'll have to get you to tell it to me sometime," Kevin mumbled.

Darien looked over at Bobby. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, right?"

Bobby nodded. "That's putting it mildly."

"I'm... well, I guess you could say I'm the chief of security at this complex. And I've been specially instructed by my boss to make sure that you don't cause any trouble."

Bobby frowned. "Look, I don't need someone to make sure I stay in line, I can do that by myself."

Darien smiled cheekily at Bobby. "Hey, baby-sitting you isn't exactly my dream job either. I just do as I'm told."

***********

Bobby was sitting on a medical table and trying not to squirm as Arnaud prepared to inject a needle into his arm. It wasn't easy; he really didn't like needles. They always made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Still, he wasn't about to let this Arnaud guy know that right now. He didn't look very happy at the moment. 

Arnaud injected the needle into Bobby's arm and grumbled, "Little prick."

Bobby frowned indignantly. "Hey, don't you go making cracks about my height."

Arnaud looked up at Bobby. "Hmm? Oh. Actually, I wasn't talking about you. I was referring to the human beanpole over there." He motioned in the general direction of Darien, who was sitting off in a corner of the room practicing his air guitar and humming softly to himself.

Darien looked up. "Human beanpole, huh?" He stood up and walked over to Arnaud, giving him a nasty smile. "All right, you Swiss-miss little Frenchman, I can trade insults with the best of 'em." 

Bobby rolled his eyes. Darien and Arnaud had obviously been around each other long enough to develop a rapport of sorts, but it consisted mostly of throwing insults back and forth at each other until one of them walked out of the room. Bobby couldn't help but wonder why they hated each other so much. 

Arnaud picked up another needle and injected it into Bobby's arm hard enough to pull him out of his thoughts and make him hiss in pain. Bobby frowned and glared at Arnaud. "Hey, watch what you're doing, will ya?" 

Arnaud ignored Bobby's comment. He started muttering French obscenities aimed in Darien's direction and began prepping another needle, in a much more violent fashion than Bobby thought was necessary.

Bobby tapped Darien on the shoulder. "Hey! Excuse me, but this guy's holding a needle, and he's kind of aiming it at me. I'd like it to end up in my arm instead of my kidneys, so will you stop making him angry and let him stick it where it belongs?"

Darien sighed. "Fine." He stepped back. Arnaud injected the needle into Bobby's arm. Bobby suddenly felt very lightheaded. He was about to ask Arnaud just what was in that last needle, but before he had the chance he passed out, slumping forward. Arnaud caught him before he fell and laid him back down on the table. Darien looked down at Bobby and asked, "Anything else I need to do?"

Arnaud gave Darien a contemptuous sneer. "You have served your purpose. He didn't attempt escape, and he can't now that he's sedated. You may leave."

Darien walked toward the exit, muttering a few choice curses under his breath. Before he walked out the door, however, he glanced worriedly back at Bobby, rubbing the back of his neck absently. He wasn't sure exactly what the poor guy was getting into- Kevin hadn't been able to tell him very much about this project yet, it was all a bunch of need to know crap- but whatever it was, it didn't look like it was going to be pleasant. Darien wasn't looking forward to dealing with Bobby when he woke up.


	2. II

Bobby woke up suddenly, gasping for breath. He felt like he had just woken from a terrible nightmare. And even after he opened his eyes and sat up, he still couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare wasn't over. Something was wrong. He felt... different. Like there was something in his body that didn't belong there. The back of his neck felt strange- in fact, it felt downright itchy. But the itch seemed to be coming from under the skin, where he couldn't scratch it.

Suddenly Bobby realized that he had no idea how he'd gotten into this room. The last thing he remembered was Darien and Arnaud arguing, and Arnaud sticking needles into him. He sat up in his bed, wondering what had happened. Oh crap, he thought, did they already do that surgery thing? He'd known they'd do it of course, but he had thought they'd tell him first.

He felt a familiar rush of fear and paranoia, and immediately wondered when the last time he'd taken his medication had been. As far as he could remember, it was right after he'd gotten out of prison. It had only been a few hours drive to the complex, but who knew how long he'd been unconscious? For all he knew, it could have been weeks.

Bobby glanced around the room in confusion and spotted a mirror on one wall. He walked over to it and looked at himself in the mirror. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to locate the source of the strange itchy feeling. He moved his hand, trying to see his head and the back of his neck. It looked normal, but he still couldn't shake the sensation that something was different. Then he noticed a small scar on the back of his head. Hey, he thought, that wasn't there before... He reached up and felt the scar. It was close to the source of the itching. A cold feeling began to settle in the pit of his stomach. Just what had they done to him?

A loud sound echoed through the room. Bobby jumped in surprise and whirled around. The person in front of him was wearing a doctor's outfit and a mask. He was holding a scalpel in one hand. He stepped forward menacingly. Bobby paled and took a step backward. He began frantically looking around for the exit, but the man was blocking the only way out of the room.

The man charged toward Bobby. Bobby let out a loud yelp and jumped out of the way, managing to avoid being stabbed. He dashed past the man and ran to the door, ramming into it in his haste to get out. However, the impact nearly knocked him over backwards. He rattled the doorknob frantically, but it was no use; the door was locked. 

Bobby turned around just in time to see the man charging at him again, yelling loudly and aiming the scalpel toward his head. Bobby fell to the ground, trying to pull himself up into a ball so it would be harder for the man to stab him. He was terrified; his heart was beating a mile a minute, and he could feel sweat pouring out all over his body. But when he looked down at his hands, he saw they were covered with a strange silver liquid. Then it began to disappear from sight- taking his hands with it.

"Oh crap, oh my God..." Bobby looked at where his hands had been moments before in shock. Within moments the rest of his body had disappeared as well, and instead of seeing in the normal color spectrum, he was seeing only in hues of black, white, and gray. Bobby realized he had completely forgotten the man with the scalpel and looked up at him, half expecting him to be poised to kill. But the man was no longer acting in an aggressive fashion; in fact, he looked nearly as scared as Bobby was.

**********

Bobby's hands shook as he tried to open the bottle with his pills in it. Kevin was standing nearby, trying to explain why Bobby had disappeared from sight. He gestured at a rat in a cage nearby and said, "We fit this rat's brain with a gland like the one we put into yours. Watch this." He motioned to Arnaud, who was standing nearby. Arnaud immediately yelled something at the rat very loudly in French. Bobby jumped in surprise. The rat did more than jump; the silver liquid began covering its body, and it started to disappear from sight.

"Fear gets his adrenaline going," Kevin said, "Just like when that man came after you with the scalpel. That jumpstarts the gland, which then secretes a synthetic hormone I call quicksilver." Bobby finally managed to get his pill bottle open. He shook one out, putting it in his mouth and swallowing hard. He was trying to pay attention to what Kevin was saying, but between the shock of disappearing and being chased by what had appeared to him to be a homicidal maniac at the time, he was having a hard time grasping it. Kevin continued speaking. "The quicksilver solidifies and seals over the skin like cellophane. You with me?" 

Bobby had no idea what Kevin was talking about, but he popped another pill in his mouth, nodded his head, and repeated, "Cellophane."

Kevin continued with his lecture. "Now think the only reason we see an object is because light reflects off it. You see me, but not the wall behind me because the light hits my body first, and then bounces back to your eyes. Now, watch what happens when an object is covered in quicksilver." Kevin pointed toward the rat, which by this time was almost completely gone from sight. Bobby stood up and walked over to the rat cage to get a better look.

"The rat's invisible- not because we see through him, but because we see around him." Kevin looked at Arnaud and said, "Okay." Arnaud said something soothing to the rat in French. The rat abruptly reappeared, looking much more calm than it had when it disappeared from sight. Bobby stepped back, a little unnerved by the whole process. Kevin continued. "When Philippe calms, the quicksilver dissolves and the subject is visible again." He laughed. "This making sense yet?"

Bobby gave Kevin a disbelieving look. "You put a gland in my brain?"

Arnaud began to speak. "Well, Monsieur Hobbes-"

Before Arnaud could say any more Bobby whirled around, grabbed Arnaud by his tie, and slammed him against the wall. "I got plenty of glands here, buddy. I don't need any more, and I sure don't want one that squirts this sicksilver thing."

"Quicksilver," Arnaud corrected.

"Whatever!" Bobby yelled. Then he turned to Kevin and said, in a voice that, while quieter in tone, was much more menacing, "You take this thing out of my head right now."

"Okay, we will," Kevin said, trying to calm Bobby down. "We need to perform some tests first, though..."

"No! No tests. I want it out now."

Kevin motioned for Arnaud to leave the room. Arnaud left, but right after he walked out the door, Darien walked into the room. "Hey Kev-" Before he could say any more Bobby had slammed him into the nearest wall.

Bobby looked up into Darien's face and said in an eerily calm tone, "Why did you let someone try to kill me with a scalpel?"

Darien looked at Bobby as if he was insane. "What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! You couldn't have missed him; he was a big guy, wearing a mask, holding a scalpel. He was trying to kill me! Come on, you're the chief of security around here, don't tell me you didn't know!"

But Darien didn't look like he knew. In fact, he looked more confused than before. "I don't know what you're talking about- have you been taking your meds?"

Bobby paused for a second, trying to assimilate this new information. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Darien asked, looking utterly confused and frustrated. 

Bobby let go of Darien and turned back toward Kevin. "But you knew," he said, advancing on Kevin with an angry look on his face. 

Kevin began to back away nervously. "It wasn't a real scalpel," he said, "It wasn't even remotely dangerous. Don't look at me like that!"

"Oh yeah, then how am I supposed to look at you? You nearly scared me to death!"

"Look, it wasn't my idea. And if you think you were scared, that man who was pretending to attack you was even more terrified."

Bobby calmed down a bit, remembering the man's reaction. Now that he thought about it, the man had indeed seemed terrified. But, even though Bobby stopped advancing on Kevin, he crossed his arms and frowned. He wasn't done speaking yet. "Why didn't you tell me about this thing you put in my head?"

"I was given specific instructions not to tell anyone who wasn't a member of the project. You weren't a project member yet."

Darien interrupted, looking down at Bobby. "Hey, wait a second. What are you talking about? They performed surgery on your HEAD?" Bobby nodded. Darien looked at him in shock, and then turned to Kevin. "You never said anything about messing with his brain. It's already messed up enough without you groping around in there! What did you do to him?"

Kevin shook his head. "Darien, you know I can't tell you. That's need-to-know information, I can only tell it to someone with the proper authorization."

"I'm the chief of security around here, I'd better have proper authorization!" Darien growled. "I can't do my job if I don't know what's going on around here. You'd better tell me about this, right now, or I will personally see to it that this project is aborted."

Kevin sighed. "You'd better sit down..."

**********

Darien shook his head, looking back and forth between Bobby and Kevin. "I don't believe it."

Bobby ran a hand over his face. "Believe it."

Darien leaned forward in his chair and began massaging his temples. "I need a drink..."

Bobby pulled his chair next to Darien's, sat down, and muttered, "You and me both." He glanced pleadingly up at Kevin. "Take this thing out of my head. Please."

Kevin sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that. These tests need to be run and-"

"I don't care about the stinkin' tests! I want this thing out of my head. I want to be me again, not some freako science experiment."

"Yes, but think of all the good you could do with this gland. Robert, it's a gift!"

"A pretty dangerous gift, if you ask me. I could do anything with this. Break into a bank, steal anything I wanted..."

"Yes, but there's so much good you could do with it too! You could save countless lives."

"Or I could kill people. With this gland in my head, what's to stop me from committing murder? No one would see me, so they'd have no proof that I actually did it."

Darien looked over at Bobby. "Come on Hobbes, you wouldn't do something like that. You may be a con and a thief, but you're not a killer."

Bobby glared angrily at Darien. "How do you know? You knew me for all of two months before you sent me to jail."

"It was enough time to get to know you pretty well. I know you'd never do something like that."

"Yeah, but what if, oh, say Saddam Hussein got his own gland? Just think of what could happen then."

Kevin smiled. "Not a chance. There are only two places where the designs for the gland are stored; the base computer and up here." He gestured toward his head. "There's no way a criminal could get near them."

Bobby gestured angrily toward his own head. "Hello, wake up call!"

Kevin sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I've already told you, it's just for a few weeks! After that the gland comes out, and you're free to do as you please."

"Look, I'm telling you, get somebody else. Someone you can trust."

Kevin placed a hand on Darien's shoulder. "My brother seems to think you're trustworthy."

Darien pushed Kevin's hand off his shoulder. "Look, don't bring me into this!"

Kevin turned back to Bobby. "I've been working for this all my life. It's my baby."

Bobby gave Kevin a sarcastic look and said, "Hello, Daddy."

Kevin rolled his eyes, but continued speaking. "The point is, I think we can make this work. If you want it out, I'll take it out, but you'll probably end up back in prison somewhere. If you help me though, we could make this perfect. And you'd be free."

Bobby sighed. Kevin was right, this was his only chance. Yeah, it meant he'd have to be a human lab rat for a couple of weeks, but there wasn't much he could do about that at this point. He took a deep breath, then looked up at Kevin and said, "What do I need to do?"

***********

Bobby sighed and flopped down on his bed. He was exhausted. For the past several days, Kevin and the other scientists had been performing countless tests on the quicksilver gland and what Bobby could do with it. The results had seemed promising from what Bobby could gather, but he was getting tired of being stared at like he was on display. Being able to disappear was fun, but he was getting tired of it real fast. He just wanted to get this over with and get on with his life.

Suddenly he felt something in the back of his head. It wasn't pain exactly, it was more like that itchy feeling he'd had when the gland was first put in, only magnified a hundred times over. Bobby got out of bed and walked into the bathroom connected to his bedroom, looking into the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, streaked with red. He stared at them for a moment, unsure of what to think.

He hurriedly picked his pill bottle up off of its resting place beside the sink and opened it, shaking out a pill and swallowing it immediately. He looked back in the mirror; his eyes looked normal. He stared at his reflection suspiciously. He wasn't sure whether he had just imagined the way his eyes had looked in the mirror a moment ago or not. He made a mental note to tell Kevin in the morning.

**********

Bobby was sitting on a lab table, trying to practice his quicksilvering techniques. He had been having trouble all morning, and both he and Kevin were getting a little irritated. Bobby took a deep breath and tried to quicksilver his arm. Nothing happened. He swore in frustration. "I thought I had this under control by now!" He stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. That itchy feeling was still there, not as bad as last night, but persistently pounding at the back of his head. He was rapidly developing a world-class headache.

Kevin put a hand on Bobby's shoulder and said something that was probably supposed to be soothing, but Bobby wasn't listening to him. He rubbed the back of his neck. The itchy feeling was getting worse... Suddenly the back of his head exploded in a wash of pain. Bobby collapsed to the ground, unable to keep from crying out at the agony that was pounding through his head and echoing through every other part of his body.

Then the pain stopped. And in the calm after the storm, Bobby suddenly felt a strange lightening sensation, as if some huge burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. He also felt very, very angry.

Bobby looked up at Kevin, who was staring at Bobby's eyes and yelling something about the infirmary. Bobby threw him out of the way and charged out of the room, feeling the cold rush of the quicksilver covering his body as he ran. He had to get out of here. He wasn't going to be these scientists' pet experiment any longer. He was going to be free.

Bobby nearly crashed into a man walking down the hallway. He pushed the man out of his way and started to run down the corridor again, but stopped and looked back. A cold rush of anger filled him. This was the man who had attacked him with the fake scalpel, the man he had thought was trying to kill him. Bobby smiled nastily and began walking back in the direction he had come from. He'd teach this man a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

Bobby walked up to the man and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the wall. The man paled in fright; as far as he could see, he was being held against the wall, nearly two inches above the floor, by nothing more than very cold air. Then he felt invisible hands beginning to choke him, their icy grip freezing his skin. He tried to scream, but couldn't; all that came out of his throat were gasps for air and choking sounds. His eyes began to roll back in his head as he struggled for air. Bobby reappeared, a look of cruel satisfaction on his face as he continued to choke the life out of the security guard.

Suddenly someone grabbed Bobby from behind, forcing him to drop the guard and hurling him across the hall. Bobby turned around and saw that the man who had pushed him away was Darien Fawkes, who was busy trying to help the battered security guard to his feet. Bobby snarled; Darien had stopped him from teaching that man a lesson. Now he was going to pay.

Bobby charged at Darien from behind, knocking him to the ground. However, Darien did some sort of karate or judo move, and Bobby ended up on the floor right beside him. The two of them struggled with each other, each one trying to pin the other to the floor. Finally Bobby managed to get the upper hand, holding Darien facedown to the floor with his hands pulled behind his back. Darien struggled, but he couldn't break loose. Bobby laughed and began to push his knee against the small of Darien's back, causing Darien to cry out in pain.

Suddenly someone stuck a needle into the back of Bobby's neck. Bobby jerked up and whirled around. Kevin was standing there, holding the now empty syringe. Bobby fell to the ground, struggling to keep awake, to keep from passing out. However, he soon lost the battle and slipped into drugged oblivion.


	3. III

Bobby awakened with a start, sitting straight up in bed and letting out a loud yell. He'd just had the most terrible nightmare, except it wasn't a nightmare. It was real. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Had he really done all those horrible things? What was wrong with him? Kevin ran up to him, as did Darien. Bobby looked up at Kevin accusingly. "Do you have any clue what happened to me back there?"

Kevin nodded. "I'm afraid we've discovered a side effect."

Bobby gave Kevin a sarcastic glare. "No kidding."

**********

Kevin ran a hand through his hair and sat down beside Darien. "He's angry at me," he said quietly. There was no need to say who 'he' was.

Darien glared at Kevin. "Well, of course he's angry! I would be too, if I was in his situation."

"Well, it's not my fault! This problem didn't come up before with any of the other test subjects. Maybe the quicksilver was reacting strangely with some of his medication, or..."

Darien gave Kevin a meaningful look. "Or maybe this happened on purpose." Kevin gave Darien an outraged look, and Darien hastened to correct himself. "No, no, I don't mean YOU did it on purpose! But didn't you find it at all suspicious that this De Thiel guy came up with that counteragent so quickly?"

"Not really, no."

"I'm telling you, something about that guy just doesn't add up." With that Darien stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Kevin still sitting with a bewildered look on his face.

***********

Bobby snuck after Arnaud, trying to keep from sight, then quicksilvered and followed Arnaud into a room with a large computer system inside. However, as soon as Bobby walked into the room Arnaud pulled a fire extinguisher off of the wall and sprayed it toward the door, instantly revealing Bobby's form. Bobby reappeared, looking slightly dismayed. Arnaud smiled nastily. "If you're going to follow me around, you should at least be a little more discreet about it. But then, you don't seem very inclined toward subtlety. In fact, you seem downright nosy."

Hobbes leaned against a computer databank "I prefer to think of myself as being openly suspicious."

"Paranoia isn't exactly what I'd call an endearing trait."

Hobbes smirked. "Yeah, but I've found it works pretty well for me so far."

"Maybe so, but I believe I have the upper hand." Arnaud pulled a gun from beneath his lab coat. The smirk on Bobby's face disappeared immediately. "Now, kindly step over there," Arnaud said, gesturing toward a corner of the room with the gun. Bobby reluctantly walked over to the area Arnaud had indicated. "Turn around." Bobby did as he was told, a bitter grimace on his face. Arnaud promptly smashed the butt of his gun against Bobby's head and Bobby fell to the floor, unconscious. Arnaud walked over to the computer terminal, placed his gun beside it, and started to download all the information on the quicksilver gland into a small data cube.

Several minutes later, just as Arnaud was finishing downloading the data, Bobby began to stir. Seeing what Arnaud was doing, he pulled himself to his feet and charged at Arnaud, letting out a loud yell. Arnaud whirled around and reached for his gun, but before he could pick it up Bobby slammed him against the computer terminal and picked up the gun himself. "Now who's got the upper hand, huh?" 

Arnaud hurriedly stuck the data cube in his mouth and swallowed it. Bobby frowned and was about to yell at Arnaud when a security guard ran into the room. Aw crap, Bobby thought, Arnaud must have hit a silent alarm button of some kind. The security guard's eyes widened at the sight before him, and he drew his gun, yelling, "Freeze! Drop the gun!" Bobby did as he was told, muttering obscenities under his breath. Arnaud smiled arrogantly as the security guard grabbed Bobby and slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

**********

Darien watched through a one-way mirror as Bobby paced angrily across the padded room on the other side, firmly strapped in a straightjacket. He had been ranting for the better part of an hour about how Arnaud had set him up, until Kevin had finally turned off the speaker. Darien shook his head sadly and turned to Kevin. "Do we have to keep him locked up like this?"

Kevin nodded gravely. "I don't see any other option at this point. The man is completely insane."

Darien turned back toward the one-way mirror, looking thoughtfully at Bobby. "Maybe he's not as crazy as you might think." He placed his walkie-talkie on the equipment near the mirror, then turned and walked out of the room, heading down the hall toward the door to the padded room. He motioned to the guard standing in front of the door. "Let me in."

The guard looked at him disbelievingly. "But sir-"

Darien gave the guard a stern glare. "I said let me in."

The man sighed. "Yes, sir." He turned around and reluctantly opened the door.

Just before Darien walked through the door he looked back at the guard. "One more thing. Don't call me sir." Then he walked through the door and into the blinding white glare of the padded room.

Bobby was sitting down with his back to the door. He turned around as Darien walked into the room, giving him a melancholy look. "Well, here I am again. Locked up in the nuthouse. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, wouldn't you?"

Darien leaned against one of the walls. "Well, I sure wouldn't want to have to get used to it."

Bobby gave Darien a pleading look. "Look, I know what I saw. I'm not crazy."

"I want to believe you. But those guys are the people you've gotta convince." Darien gestured toward the one-way mirror.

Bobby nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know." He leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "I've been trying to tell them, but they won't listen."

Darien walked over and sat down beside Bobby, lowering his voice a bit. "Do you have any way of proving that you're innocent? Can you prove that it was Arnaud that assaulted you instead of the other way around?"

Bobby gave Darien a sarcastic look. "Well, you could check the bump on my head. Or you could wait for Arnaud to have his next bowel movement."

Darien glared at Bobby. "Look, I'm serious here. I need some tangible proof, and I need it now!" He sighed, running a hand over his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. These past couple of days have been rough."

Bobby laughed bitterly. "No kidding."

An uneasy silence filled the room for a minute, until finally Darien spoke. "I really do believe you. About Arnaud, I mean. I've had my eye on that guy ever since he came on staff. But Kevin thinks he's the best thing since... since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Oh man, your brother's falling for the old 'I love Arnaud' scam! It's one of the oldest cons in the book, I've pulled it off a million times."

"The only problem with your story is, if Arnaud was going to smuggle data out of the complex, how could he get it out? I mean, I've had this place swarming with security ever since the project started."

Bobby sighed. "I've been wondering that too." His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat since sometime the day before, and he glanced over at Darien. "Hey, when's breakfast? I'm starving."

Darien glanced down at his watch. "Well, it's nine o'clock. Someone should be coming to feed you any minute now." He gave Bobby an apologetic look. "I've gotta go now. The job awaits." Bobby nodded, and Darien pulled himself to his feet and walked over to the door. However, just before he reached it, there was a loud explosion out in the hall, and blood splattered up on the window to the door. At the same time, the glass to the one-way mirror shattered, flying inward and pelting both Darien and Bobby with tiny shards.

Darien pulled himself up from where he'd fallen on the floor and looked through the small window in the door to the padded room. He paled a little. "Aw crap." He turned back to Bobby. "We've got to get you out of here now."

"What?" Bobby asked curiously, but Darien didn't answer the question. Instead he pulled Bobby to his feet and started unbuckling the straightjacket. As soon as Bobby was free he sprinted for the large opening in the wall that used to be the one-way mirror. He climbed through the opening, being careful not to cut himself on the glass. Darien followed, peeking cautiously into the observation room. Bobby was the only person in the room; Kevin was nowhere in sight.

Bobby rushed out in the hall and began running toward the exit, but slowed to a halt as he saw the remains of the guard who had been standing outside the padded room. His head had been blown off, and blood and pieces of flesh spattered the walls. Bobby stared at the dead guard for a moment, trying to keep from retching. Darien walked up behind Bobby, looking down at the body of the guard. He didn't look very comfortable with the sight either.

"I think it was the walkie-talkies," Darien said quietly. "I left mine right in front of the one-way mirror."

Bobby shook his head. "It's a good thing, too. If you'd had it with you..."

Darien held up a hand for silence. "Don't say it; I do not want that mental image in my head right now." He glanced around the corridor. "We've got to get out of here. Whoever did this, they're probably after you."

"Not me, just this thing in my head." Bobby laughed bitterly. "You know, I used to dream about being able to turn invisible. Not anymore."

Darien drew his gun out of the holster he'd kept concealed under his jacket. "Shut up and follow me." He glanced around a corner in the corridor, holding his gun at the ready. He didn't see anyone, so he signaled to Bobby that it was safe. The two of them rounded the corner and continued walking down the corridor. 

Bobby shook his head. "It's just like the old days, huh?"

Darien gave Bobby an irritated glare. "Hardly."

Just then they reached another corner in the hallway. Darien glanced around for a split second, then pulled back, holding up his hand to indicate that Bobby should stay put. Then he lunged around the corner, aiming his gun directly at the person on the other side- and came face to face with a very startled Kevin. Darien heaved a sigh of relief and lowered his gun. "Hey Hobbes, you can come out. It's just Kevin." Bobby peeked around the corner, then stepped out into view.

Kevin ran up to the two of them, gasping for breath. "It's Arnaud," he said breathlessly, "He's the one who did this. You were right. You were both right." He looked over at Bobby. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

Bobby shook his head. "We don't have time for apologies, we've got to get out of here now!"

Kevin motioned to Darien and Bobby. "Follow me." He led them down a side corridor, and then down several small hallways. The three of them skidded to a halt as several men armed with machine guns stepped into view. They immediately ducked into the nearest doorway for cover.

Bobby gasped for breath, doing his very best to keep his fear in check. He glanced over at Darien. "I hope you've got a plan, 'cause otherwise we're dead."

Darien glared at Bobby. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

Kevin glanced frantically at Darien. "Well, think faster!"

Darien fired his gun out of the doorway in the general direction of the terrorists, then pulled himself back in the doorway and glanced at Bobby. "Okay, here's what we do. As soon as I reload my gun, you guys run back down the hall. I'll distract these creeps."

Bobby shook his head and yelled over the sound of the gunfire, "That's not much of a plan."

Darien fired off a couple more rounds at the terrorists and yelled, "Well, it's the best one I could come up with in thirty seconds!" He ducked back in the hallway to reload his gun. As soon as that was accomplished, he charged out into the hall, shooting wildly in the direction of the terrorists. He rolled and dodged for all he was worth, but within seconds one of the terrorists managed to shoot him in the leg. He fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

The terrorists stopped firing and walked up to him, holding their guns at the ready. Darien dropped his gun and pushed it away, fully expecting the men to shoot him anyway. However, before they had a chance to do anything, two of the terrorists' heads were smashed together by an unseen force. The other terrorists looked at the first two in confusion, and Darien took the opportunity to trip one of them with his good leg. Kevin charged out of the doorway he'd been hiding inside, brandishing a food tray. He bashed it onto the nearest terrorist as hard as he could. Within seconds, all the terrorists were lying moaning on the ground.

Bobby appeared in front of Darien and he and Kevin set to work dragging the terrorists into a nearby room and tying them up with wires, phone cords, and anything else that was available. Then the two of them walked back to where Darien was lying. Bobby leaned down, helping Darien up. Kevin picked up a machine gun that one of the guards had dropped, brandishing it awkwardly. Darien glared at Bobby and Kevin. "I thought I told you two to run for it."

Kevin turned to Darien, still trying to find a comfortable way to hold the gun. "Come on, did you really think we'd leave you here to die?"

Darien tried to keep a scowl on his face, but after a moment he broke down, giving Kevin a smile. "No, but it would've been smarter."

Kevin returned the smile. "Maybe I'm not as smart as you thought."

Bobby looked at the way Kevin was wielding the gun and shook his head. "Here, gimme that. I'm not your brother's keeper." He grabbed the gun and Kevin took Darien's arm. Bobby seemed much more at ease with the gun than Kevin had been, although he didn't look particularly happy about it. He started walking off down the corridor, motioning for Darien and Kevin to follow him. "Let's get out of here."

**********

Bobby stepped through a door at the back of the farmhouse and into the daylight, looking around for any of Arnaud's men. He didn't see any, but he pulled the machine gun up to a firing position, just in case. Kevin walked out of the door, helping Darien to walk as well. They ran up to Darien's car, which was parked nearby. Just as they reached it, Arnaud and several of his henchmen came into view. Bobby fired off a few shots in their direction, while Kevin helped Darien into the back seat and slipped into the driver's seat. 

Kevin turned around, looking back at Darien. "Keys!" Darien pulled them out of his pocket and tossed them up to Kevin. Kevin stuck the keys in the ignition and started up the car.

Bobby tried to fire off a few more shots in Arnaud's direction, but nothing happened when he pulled the trigger. He turned frantically back to Darien and Kevin. "Aw crap, I'm out!"

Darien yelled, "Just get in the car!" Bobby dropped the gun, yanked open the door, and ducked into the passenger's seat. Before he'd even finished closing his car door Kevin was driving away. Arnaud's men fired several shots at Darien's car as it drove off, but most of them missed. Arnaud watched angrily as Darien, Kevin, and Bobby drove out of sight.

**********

"So, where are we going?" Bobby asked, looking over at Kevin.

"How should I know?" Kevin yelled hysterically, "I'm just driving!"

Darien sat up a little, wincing at the pain it caused his leg. "Well, wherever we go, there'd better be a doctor, or at least a good first aid kit."

Just then, Bobby felt the strange itchy sensation echo through his mind. It rapidly escalated into a fierce throbbing. He grabbed the back of his neck, hissing in pain. The pain passed after a moment, but he could still feel the itching in the back of his mind. He looked back at Darien. "We definitely need a doctor." He thought for a moment, and then smiled. "And I know just where to go."


	4. IV

Kevin pulled Darien's car to a stop outside a small, neatly kept house. He looked over at Bobby. "This the place?"

Bobby nodded. "This is the place." He opened his car door, climbed out, and walked up to the door of the house. He stopped once he reached the porch, taking a moment to mentally prepare himself for what would inevitably happen. Then he reached up and knocked loudly on the door. "Just a minute!" A feminine voice called from inside the house. A few seconds later the door swung open, and Bobby came face to face with someone he hadn't seen in nearly six years.

"Vivian!" Bobby said, forcing a big smile on his face. Vivian took one look at him and tried to slam the door shut. Bobby stuck his foot between the door and the doorjamb. He instantly regretted it, though; Vivian had tried to slam that door closed pretty hard. "Vivian..." he said again, but this time it came out as more of a moan. Vivian responded by slamming the door against his foot again. Bobby could barely keep himself from swearing. "Look, Viv, we need to talk."

Vivian opened the door and stepped outside, her hands on her hips. "Talk about what? We haven't talked for six years!"

"Hey, that restraining order wasn't my idea."

"But it's still active. Now get out of here before I call the cops." Bobby didn't move. Vivian scowled at him. "You know I will."

"Look, Viv, this isn't about me. See that guy in the car over there?" Bobby pointed at Darien. "He's been shot in the leg."

"By who? You?"

Bobby sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I can't tell you what happened, I think it's classified or some junk like that, but he really needs a doctor, and you're the only one I can trust right now."

"Why can't you just go to the hospital?"

"I already told you, it's classified! Now, you don't have to help me, but will you help him?"

Vivian sighed. "Fine, get him inside."

**********

Vivian pulled a box out of her closet and started laying out her first aid equipment. Bobby watched her longingly. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, but she was just as beautiful as he'd remembered. However, she was also just as stubborn as he'd remembered too, he thought reluctantly. 

Vivian pulled a roll of bandages out of the box. Darien started to squirm on the couch where he'd been seated. Vivian shot him a mild glare. "Hold still. I don't want you bleeding all over my living room." Darien stopped moving. Vivian came closer and examined the bullet wound. "Well, the bleeding stopped anyway, that much you can be thankful of. And the bullet went all the way through; that's good too."

Darien hissed as she started bandaging his leg. "Yeah well, it still feels real crappy."

"That's to be expected." A couple of minutes later Vivian was finished. "Okay, I'm done for now. I'd suggest that you have someone look at that in a hospital as soon as possible, where they can really take care of it. I can't do much else for you here." 

Darien nodded. Vivian turned to Bobby. "So. Now you can leave."

Bobby shook his head. "Umm, not quite yet."

Vivian gave Bobby a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"

Bobby sighed. "Viv, we might need somewhere to hide for a few days."

Vivian's expression darkened. "Why?"

Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's a long story..."

**********

"This is preposterous!" Vivian exclaimed, giving Bobby, Darien, and Kevin disbelieving looks.

Bobby leaned forward. "But it's true."

Vivian pointed angrily at Kevin. "You're asking me to believe that he stuck some sort of gland in your head?"

Bobby nodded. "Yes."

"It's not possible, Bobby."

Kevin stood up. "Actually, it is."

Vivian crossed her arms. "You got any proof?" 

Kevin shook his head reluctantly. "Not at present."

Vivian gave Bobby a triumphant look. "Then why should I believe you?"

Bobby gave Vivian his sweetest, most innocent look. "Come on Viv, would I ever lie to you?" He realized what he'd just said and held up a hand. "Don't answer that. The point is, we're all in a lot of trouble here. I need you to get Kevin here access to your hospital's operating room or something so he can get this thing out of my head."

Kevin squirmed in his seat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Well, actually... I don't think I can get the gland out of your head just yet."

Bobby whirled around. "What?"

"Well, the side effects that Arnaud added have brought on some complications. I'm not really sure we can take it out. At least, not without killing you."

Bobby groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "This just keeps getting better and better..."

Vivian gave Bobby a curious look. "Just what is this gland supposed to do anyway?"

Kevin hurriedly said, "That's classified."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Of course it is."

Bobby was thinking hard. He had to find some way to make Vivian believe he was telling the truth. But he could only think of one way. "All right, I'll prove to you that I've got this thing in my head. But you can't tell anyone about what you're about to see- well, not see, actually."

Kevin gave Bobby a horrified look. "Don't you dare!"

Darien had been silent up until this point, merely observing the conversation. But now he felt the need to join the conversation. He put a hand on Kevin's shoulder and said, "Let him show her."

Kevin looked over at Darien. "But..."

Darien shook his head gently. "Just let him show her." Kevin thought for a moment, and then nodded reluctantly. Bobby closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to quicksilver. After a moment he opened one eye, looking around the room. His vision was normal. He closed his eyes and tried again, but nothing happened. When he opened them Vivian had a smug smile on his face.

Bobby growled a little and said, "I haven't quite got control of it yet, all right?"

Kevin smiled a little. "So, would it work better if I came after you with a scalpel?"

Bobby glared at him. "Just shut up." He turned around and started walking out of the room. However, before he got to the door he felt a stabbing pain in the back of his head. He fell to the ground, clutching the back of his neck. 

Vivian ran up to him worriedly. "Bobby, you okay?"

Bobby looked back up at her, his eyes bloodshot. "Oh, I'm great." Vivian paled a little when she saw his eyes, and took several steps backward. Darien tried to pull himself to his feet, but only managed to cause himself more pain.

Kevin took one look at Bobby and began to back up as well. "Oh no, not again..."

Bobby pulled himself to his feet and lunged at Vivian in one fluid motion. Vivian jumped out of the way, screaming, "Stop it, Bobby!" 

Bobby seemed to realize what he was doing for a moment. "Gotta get out of here, gotta get out..." He ran out of the room, holding his hands to his head. 

Vivian started to run after him, but Kevin grabbed her arm. "Wait!"

Vivian struggled against his grasp. "But he needs help-"

Kevin kept a tight grip on her. "There's nothing you can do for him right now. Just wait." Vivian stopped struggling. After a few minutes Bobby slowly walked back into the room. His eyes were normal, but he looked tired and his right hand was bloody.

Vivian looked at Bobby and shook her head. "I hope that wasn't what you were trying to show me."

Bobby shook his head fervently. "Of course not! I'd never do anything to hurt you. Not on purpose, anyway." He paused for a moment, glancing down at his bloody hand. "Umm, you might want to think about getting yourself a new mirror for your bedroom. The old one isn't in very good shape right now."

Vivian walked closer to Bobby, a worried frown on her face. "Bobby, what happened to you? I mean, you were just..."

Bobby frowned. "I was nuts, I know."

Vivian shook her head. "That was not natural." She paused for a moment, and then looked back up at Bobby. "All right. I believe you. I'll let you stay here for a couple of days." She held up a hand. "But no longer than that. I don't want you going crazy like that on me again."

Darien pushed himself into a slightly more upright position on the couch. "Hey guys, we need to make a plan or something. I mean, it's not gonna be much longer before Hobbes here goes off again."

Kevin pulled a chair up and sat down next to Darien. "We need the counteragent."

Bobby looked over at Kevin in confusion. "Well, can't you just go to a lab somewhere and make some up?"

Kevin shook his head. "It's not that simple. The counteragent is very complex. Arnaud is the only one who knew the formula. Well," he amended, "We did put the formula in the main computer at the lab. But the computer was destroyed, so he's still the only one who has it."

Darien nodded. "So we need to find Arnaud." Suddenly someone knocked very loudly on the front door. Vivian walked out of the room to answer it. However, as soon as she opened the door, several men with guns stormed into the room. 

Bobby began to back away. "I think he just found us." His heart began pounding in his chest and he began to quicksilver, but before he had completely disappeared someone shot a tranquilizer dart into his chest. Bobby fell to the ground, barely conscious. Vivian, unable to see clearly, thought he'd been shot with a bullet. She cried out and, started to run towards him, but one of the men shot her in the back. She was dead before she hit the floor. 

Bobby looked at her dead form with glassy eyes. "Vivian..." he said sadly, but before he could say anymore the tranquilizer took full effect and he sank into oblivion.

**********

Bobby woke up slowly, his head pounding. He groaned; he was getting really tired of waking up unpleasantly so often. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was strapped, shirtless, onto a medical table. He closed his eyes and let out a loud moan. Things couldn't get much worse, he thought. Then a door opened and Arnaud walked through the door. Then again, Bobby amended, maybe they could.

Arnaud walked up beside the medical table that Bobby was lying on, smiled, and said, "Hello, Hobbes. Glad to see you're awake."

Bobby glared at Arnaud with utter hatred. "De Theil. I'm gonna kill you, you sick bastard, just like you killed Vivian!"

Arnaud sighed. "I didn't kill her, one of my men did, against my orders, I might add. He has paid for his mistake. And by the way, my name's not De Theil. It's De Föhn."

Bobby frowned, puzzled by the strange sounding name. "The Phone?"

Arnaud rolled his eyes. "No, De Föhn. Can't you get anything right?"

Bobby started to glare at Arnaud again. "I don't care what your name is, I still hate you. Now what did you do with the others?"

"I would think that in your current predicament you'd be more concerned with what I'm going to do to you."

Bobby thought for a moment. "You know, you've got a point there. What are you going to do with me?"

Arnaud picked up a scalpel from a nearby medical tray and looked over at Bobby nonchalantly. "I've got some tests to perform, and then I'm going to take the gland out. Of course, that will probably kill you, but that doesn't really matter to me."

"Of course not. Killing's a way of life for you."

Arnaud gave Bobby a slightly offended look. "Oh, come now, that was a little uncalled for. I don't kill everyone I meet, just the people who get in my way." Just then two men wearing lab coats walked in. Arnaud glanced at his watch. "Ah, gentlemen, right on time." He pulled a surgical mask onto his face and turned to Bobby. "Let's begin now, shall we?"

**********

Darien lay on the bed in his cell- it wasn't exactly a prison cell, but it was a cell, nonetheless- and stared at the walls. If his leg didn't hurt whenever he moved it, he would have been pacing the room. He hated being locked up, and he hated it when he didn't know what was going on. Right now he was getting very stir-crazy.

Just then, a door at the far end of the room opened and Kevin stepped in. Darien pushed himself up on his elbows, looking at his brother in surprise. "Kevin, what are you doing here? And how did Arnaud find us, anyway?"

Kevin squirmed a bit, looking rather uncomfortable. "Well, when we implanted the gland we also inserted a tracking device into it as a precautionary measure in case Hobbes tried to escape. As far as I can tell, Arnaud probably tracked the signal."

Darien rolled his eyes. "That's just great."

Kevin looked down at Darien, his expression very sad. "Darien, we've got a problem. Arnaud has threatened to kill you unless I help him replicate the gland."

Darien wasn't particularly surprised at this turn of events. "You didn't agree to help him, did you?" Kevin said nothing, a guilty expression appearing on his face. Darien sighed. "Oh crap, you did."

"Well, what else was I supposed to do?"

"You should've let him kill me. I don't want you saving my life if it means helping that Swiss-miss mother!"

Kevin gave Darien a shocked look. "I saved your life!"

Darien looked up at Kevin, a pained expression on his face. "No you didn't, Kev. As soon as Arnaud's got his gland, he's gonna kill me, and you, and anyone else who could expose him."

Kevin paled as he realized that Darien was telling the truth. "Oh God..."

Darien nodded. "Oh yeah. You should have just let him kill me. Either way, I'm dead."

Kevin shook his head. "We've got to get out of here."

Darien let out a bitter laugh. "How?"

Kevin looked around the room, then back at Darien. "I don't know. But I'm going to find a way to get us out of here."

Darien laid back down on his bed and sighed. "Yeah well, you'd better figure it out soon, 'cause we probably don't have much time left."


	5. V

Bobby sat curled up in a corner of his cell, trying not to move. Arnaud's tests had been nothing like the tests Kevin had performed. Arnaud's tests had hurt a great deal. And, just to make matters worse, Bobby's head was pounding with one of the throbbing headaches that signaled oncoming quicksilver madness. Arnaud hadn't bothered to give him any counteragent. Of course, Bobby was probably going to be dead soon, so it didn't really matter.

Just then five men in lab coats came into the room and started walking toward Bobby. Bobby backed even further into the corner, his eyes wild. He'd heard Arnaud talking about surgery earlier, and he wasn't in the mood to die. He was about to turn invisible and risk the pain and insanity when Kevin stepped into the room. Bobby looked up at him in confusion. What was he doing here? Kevin nodded at the other men in lab coats, and they lunged forward and grabbed Bobby. 

Bobby's expression turned to one of shock and dismay. "You're with THEM?" Kevin winced a little, but he said nothing. Bobby shook his head sadly. "I should've known..."

The men in lab coats dragged Bobby into another room and pushed him down on a gurney that had been modified with straps for the arms and legs. They strapped him down tightly. Bobby knew he should be more worried about what was going to happen to him, but all that he could think about was the fact that he'd been betrayed by Kevin, and just when he was starting to trust the guy too. He couldn't bring himself to believe that Darien was in on this though, he just couldn't.

The men in lab coats wheeled Bobby's gurney into a makeshift operating room. Kevin reached over and picked up a needle, attempting to inject it into Bobby's arm. Bobby struggled as much as possible, but after two or three tries Kevin managed to succeed. He leaned down and whispered, "Relax, it's not anesthetic. Pretend to pass out." Bobby wondered for a split second whether or not to believe Kevin, and then made his decision. He closed his eyes and relaxed his tense muscles, hoping he was giving a convincing performance. Apparently he was, because the guards began to undo the straps around his arms and legs. 

Bobby lay perfectly still, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Then he opened his eyes and lashed out with one of his feet, kicking one of the men in the midsection. The man doubled over, and Bobby leaped up off of the hospital gurney, punching another one of the men. Kevin punched one of the men as well, but after the man fell to the ground he winced in pain and rubbed the hand he'd used to punch the man. Bobby managed to knock the other two men to the ground, and then ran for the door. 

Kevin ran up to Bobby, grabbing his arm before he ran out the door. "We need to get Darien." 

Bobby turned around and looked back at Kevin. "You know where he is?"

Kevin nodded. "Follow me."

The two of them started running toward Darien's room. However, as they rounded a corner, they came face to face with three big men. Bobby threw himself back around the corner, muttering, "Aw crap." Suddenly an alarm started shrieking in the background. Bobby winced. Now everyone in this entire complex would know something was wrong. Bobby sighed. He had to make a decision, and he had to make it now. Either he could turn invisible and risk madness, or he could stay in sight and be captured. It took all of a fraction of a second for him to decide he'd rather be crazy than dead.

Bobby quicksilvered and ran back around the corner, where Kevin was standing against the wall with his hands above his head. Bobby grabbed a machine gun out of the nearest guy's hand and began firing it at the other terrorists. Naturally, the terrorists were more than a little shocked to see a gun shooting at them while floating in midair. Kevin, however, had the good sense to fall to the ground and attempt to protect himself from stray bullets. Seconds later, all of the terrorists were lying dead on the ground, their bodies riddled with bullet holes.

Bobby reappeared, dropped the machine gun he'd been holding, and leaned down and picked up another one, pulling it out of one of the terrorist's lifeless hands. He walked over and helped Kevin to his feet.

Kevin looked around the hallway, shaking his head. "This should probably shock me, but after all that's been going on lately, it really doesn't."

Hobbes shrugged. "Ah, this is nothing. The other day I saw a guy with his head blown off."

Kevin glanced over at Hobbes. "The walkie-talkies?"

Bobby nodded. "Oh yeah. Blood all over the walls, too." He pulled the machine gun up into a firing position and looked over at Kevin. "So, are we gonna get Darien out of here or not?"

Kevin motioned with his hand. "Come on, he's this way." Kevin and Hobbes ran the rest of the way to Darien's cell. Finally they reached the door to Darien's cell. Kevin opened the door and stuck his head inside, but no one was there. He frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. He was here earlier!"

Bobby looked in the room too. "Well, he's not here now." Suddenly he fell to the ground, gasping in pain and clasping the back of his neck. After the pain subsided he looked up at Kevin, a hint of fear in his eyes. "I think we've got a problem."

Kevin's eyes widened. "Arnaud might have had some counteragent synthesized in his lab."

"Well, let's go then!"

Kevin glanced in the cell again. "What about Darien?"

"He's not in there, and he'll be a lot safer if I'm completely sane when we find him."

"You've got a point." The two of them began to run down the halls, Kevin keeping a frantic eye out for the lab, Bobby keeping a frantic eye out for any of Arnaud's henchmen. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kevin stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. "This is it!" He threw the doors open and ran into the room, but stopped suddenly, nearly causing Bobby to tumble into him. Bobby started to ask Kevin why he'd stopped so abruptly, but then he saw why. Darien was sitting on a medical table, and Arnaud was aiming a gun directly at his head.

Arnaud looked up at Bobby and Kevin. "Hello gentlemen. I was wondering when you were going to arrive. Hobbes, I'd suggest that you put down the gun. And don't even think about quicksilvering. If you disappear I am perfectly willing to shoot Fawkes in the head."

Bobby frowned. "Shut up, The Phone." 

Arnaud smiled. "Why should I? After all, I have the upper hand. Now, put down your gun, or I shall be forced to take drastic measures." He pressed the gun even harder against Darien's temple as he said this. Bobby sighed and reluctantly placed his gun on the ground, kicking it over to Arnaud's feet.

Darien gave Kevin a serious look. "Kevin, do you remember what we talked about earlier?"

Kevin shook his head fearfully. "I can't."

Arnaud frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

Darien's eyes grew intense and he said harshly, "Let him shoot me!"

Kevin shook his head fervently. "No!"

Arnaud smacked Darien on the side of the head with his gun. "Shut up." Bobby could feel the itching sensation building up in the back of his head. He tried to brace himself, but he still wasn't prepared when the pain exploded in the back of his head. He fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Arnaud looked over at Bobby in surprise, giving Darien the chance to grab Arnaud's gun hand and slam it repeatedly against the wall. Arnaud cried out in pain and dropped his gun at the same time as Bobby began to stand up, with an evil grin on his face and eyes the color of blood.

Bobby pulled himself to his feet and immediately lunged for Arnaud, slamming him into the wall. Bobby then proceeded to wrap one of his hands around Arnaud's neck and lift him bodily off the ground with a strength that was almost inhuman. Arnaud tried to pull Bobby's hand away from his neck, but to no avail.

Bobby leaned forward until his face was mere inches away from Arnaud and hissed, "I should kill you right now. But I won't. I want to have some fun first." He removed his hand from Arnaud's neck and Arnaud fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Bobby leaned down and picked up Arnaud's gun, regarding it with an eerily calm expression on his face. Then he smiled and lifted up the gun, aiming it directly at Arnaud's head. "Bang. You're dead."

"Wait," Arnaud said, his voice still raspy from when Bobby had been choking him, "We can make a deal. I've got counteragent."

Bobby's smile widened. "Don't you get it, The Phone? I don't want the counteragent any more." He laughed. "I like being this way. No more fear, no conscience to drag me down..." Bobby took a deep breath, savoring the moment. "Oh, it feels great to be free."

Darien looked over at Bobby. "You didn't feel that way when you were around Vivian."

Bobby gave Darien a quick glare. "Shut up."

But Darien continued, ignoring Bobby's comment. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you felt quite the opposite."

Bobby turned around, aiming the gun at Darien. "I said shut up!" Arnaud immediately took his chance and lunged at Bobby. The two of them fell to the ground in a tangled heap, and the gun skittered across the floor to Kevin's feet. Kevin leaned down and hesitantly picked it up. Meanwhile, Arnaud slammed Bobby's head hard against the concrete floor, leaving him barely conscious. Then he stood up. 

Kevin pulled the gun up and aimed it shakily at Arnaud's chest. "Hold it right there," he said, his voice quavering a little.

Arnaud gave Kevin a condescending look. "Oh, come now, Kevin. We both know you couldn't shoot me." He took a step closer. "You're a scientist, not a killer." He took another step. "You couldn't hurt a fly." He took another step; one more step and he'd be able to grab the gun out of Kevin's hands. He smiled triumphantly. "And I know you won't kill me." A gunshot rang out through the room. Kevin was shocked to realize that the sound had emanated from the gun in his hands. Arnaud looked down at the newly made hole in his chest, utterly shocked, and then looked back up at Kevin, with a strange look on his face that could almost have been pride or admiration. "I didn't think you had it in you..." Then he fell to the ground, dead.

Kevin looked down at Arnaud's dead body, then at the gun in his hand, and sank slowly to the ground, unable to believe what had just happened. He looked up at Darien, shock and disbelief on his face. "I killed him... Oh God, I killed him."

Darien gave Kevin a sympathetic look. "Well, it's not like he wasn't asking for it."

Bobby began to stir. Kevin stood up quickly. "Don't move!" He yelped, training the gun on Bobby. Bobby sat up, looking at Arnaud's body, and then up at Kevin. He raised his hands in the air slowly. Kevin walked over to Darien and pressed the gun into his hand. Darien immediately aimed it at Bobby.

Kevin began digging frantically through a nearby refrigerator. After several minutes of frantic searching, he straightened up, a triumphant look on his face. He held up a vial full of blue liquid. "I've got it!" He said enthusiastically. He picked up a needle and filled it with counteragent, preparing to inject the needle into Bobby's arm.

Then several of Arnaud's henchmen stormed through the door to the lab, took one look at Arnaud's dead body, and fired their guns directly at Kevin.

Darien immediately returned fire and managed to shoot all the terrorists who had charged through the door, but it was too late. Kevin had been shot repeatedly in the chest. He fell to the ground, dead. Darien looked over at him frantically, yelling, "Kevin?" He tried to run over to Kevin, only belatedly remembering that even walking wasn't a good idea for him right now. Within seconds he was sprawled on the floor. Darien pulled himself over to Kevin as fast as he could, placing a hand on his brother's chest, feeling the blood, seeing the empty eyes staring up at the ceiling, and finally realizing that his brother was dead.

A lone tear rolled down Darien's cheek. "Kevin..." He was going to say more when he felt the cold nuzzled of a gun barrel on the side of his head. He looked upward and saw Bobby standing there, his crimson eyes glinting with hatred as he aimed the machine gun he had brought with him earlier directly at Darien's head. Darien looked down at Kevin's body, then back up at Bobby with hollow eyes. "Look, if you're gonna shoot me, just do it, okay?"

Bobby looked down at Darien in confusion. "That's it?" Darien nodded. Bobby frowned. "You're supposed to be afraid."

Darien laughed bitterly. "Sorry, I'm all scared out."

"You're supposed to ask me not to kill you."

"Why should I? You'll probably just kill me anyway."

Bobby shook his head angrily. "You're trying to confuse me."

"Am I?" Darien asked, quietly reaching behind him toward Kevin's dead hand, the one with the needle full of counteragent in it. He took it out of Kevin's hand and gripped it tightly. Then he pulled his arm out from behind his back and kicked at the gun in Bobby's hands with his good leg. The gun went off, but the bullet merely impacted into the wall by Darien's head. Bobby howled in pain as Darien grabbed him and forcefully injected the contents of the syringe into his arm. The gun slipped out of his hand and clattered over to Darien's feet.

Darien picked up the gun and placed it where it was in arms reach. After a few minutes, Bobby began to move. Darien looked at him warily. "Are you yourself again?"

Bobby sat up. His eyes were normal. "I guess so..." Darien sighed in relief and put down the gun. Bobby looked around the room, remembering what had just happened. "Oh man." He looked over at Darien, and Kevin's body lying on the floor. "Oh man, I'm so sorry..."

Darien shook his head. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it is. He wouldn't have been shot if I hadn't... if I wasn't..." Bobby couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He sighed. "I'm sorry about the gun thing, too."

Darien leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's okay. That wasn't you."

Both of them were silent for a minute, each of them thinking about the loved ones they had lost in the last twenty-four hours. After a while, Bobby stood up. "You ready to get out of here?" Darien nodded. Bobby leaned down, grasping Darien's arm and helping him to his feet. He grabbed the now half-empty vial of counteragent that Kevin had used to fill the syringe with in his other hand. "Then let's go."

**********

Bobby knelt in front of Vivian's grave and felt a stray tear roll down his cheek. It was his fault that she was dead, he thought. It was his fault. He closed his eyes and thought about what had happened in the past couple of days. Soon after he and Darien had gotten out of Arnaud's complex, a group of men in suits had showed up. Fortunately, they'd been with the good guys. They'd gotten Darien to a hospital, and they'd offered Bobby a deal. 

As it turned out, counteragent was very expensive stuff to make. Bobby would have had to steal several thousands of dollars just to pay for one shot of the stuff. However, the Agency- that was what the men in suits had been working for- was willing to make him a deal. He worked for them as an agent, and they gave him counteragent. He'd felt like he was getting the raw end of the deal at the time, but he didn't say anything. After all, it was the best chance he had at staying sane. He still wasn't sure whether or not to except the deal, but the itching sensation in the back of his head told him time was starting to run out, and he'd have to make a decision soon.

Bobby opened his eyes and saw Darien slowly making his way over a nearby hill, using a cane to help him walk. He walked up and sat down beside Bobby, groaning a little as he bent over. He sat there silently for a few minutes and then looked over at Bobby, cocking his head slightly to the left. "So, are you coming to Kevin's funeral?"

Bobby sighed. "I'm not sure."

"I think he would have wanted you to come." Darien paused for a while, deep in thought, and then asked the question that was foremost in his mind. "You gonna take the deal the Agency offered you?"

Bobby stared down at his feet. "I'm not sure. They make it sound like I don't have much of a choice."

"Yeah, well, you probably don't. But don't worry. It can't be all bad."

Bobby laughed a little. "Do you know something I don't?"

Darien paused a moment, looking at the cane in his hands. "Well, I've been working for these guys ever since I got kicked out of the FBI. They're not that bad, once you get used to 'em. And if you agreed, I might be able to pull a few strings, set you up with a partner you can trust."

Bobby glanced over at Darien, the beginnings of a smile appearing on his face. "Are you volunteering to be my partner?"

Darien returned the smile. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Bobby laughed a little. "You know, I think my chances of joining this Agency thing just doubled."

"And maybe, someday, they'll figure out how to get the gland out of your head."

Bobby glanced over at Darien. "I hope so."

"So, does that mean you're in?"

Bobby thought for a moment and then nodded. "I guess so."

Darien pulled himself to his feet. "Come on, then. It's time you met Claire."

Bobby stood up, giving Darien a quizzical look. "Who's Claire?"

"Your Keeper."

A roguish smile spread across Bobby's face. "I like the sound of that..."

And the rest, as they say, is history...

The End


End file.
